Wednesday, May 31, 2017

MFAC alum and agent extraordinaire Jodell Sadler* has generously offered to answer a few questions about the ever mysterious world of agents - and how to find one. Read on to find out her agent tips of the day!

What are agents looking for from a craft point of view?

Agents look for great writing and great story, pure and simple. It has to be both. When a unique idea comes along, it stands out. When a unique voice pops up in the inbox, it stands up and announces itself. When I open a submission and sense a writer has studied his/her craft and places me in story within the first lines, pages and chapter, I forget I am reading a story, and its the magic I look for. It makes me want to acquire yesterday and work with that writer.

The next concern is if a writer can carry story over the muddy middle. I look for a well-paced manuscript: active verbs, honed sentences with diction that pauses me at emotional hot points and enhances my focus in a masterful way—just really great sentences. I ask myself a few questions: do the words match the action of scenes? Do I sense emotional depth, original character, and worldview and does the piece have both layers and legs?

More than anything, I crave fresh, original, creative, interactive, and genuinely engaging stuff. What’s the personality and voice used in your cover letter? Are you presenting to an agent your personality and passion? Are you using comedic timing and pause well and asking they pay attention to the underpinnings of your words? I love that quote from William Zinsser, “You are the product that you sell” or the notion the late Ray Bradbury speaks to: writers learn the rules and how to break them well up until that day that the process of writing becomes “all in an of their fingers”—and they no longer think about it. If you have earned your MFA, you are well on your way. So, write. Write from that passionate place where story comes.

What are some writing clichés to avoid?

Princess and holiday books cause allergic reactions for me. I see them too often in my submissions bin. I prefer commercial, literary—that surprising, new material that makes me want to snatch it up. Material that presents that wow-factor and leaves me thinking: “I with I had thought of that!” moment is perfect.

When I first started out as an agent, I felt I could help any writer who was committed to his/her career, held an MFA, but that has since changed. It’s all about collaboration and a project I can genuinely connect to and believe in. As an agent, especially an editorial one, we spend time with the manuscripts, reading them and rereading. So, I am careful to take on projects and writers or writer-illustrators I feel connected to. I look for that writing professional who partners with an agent to further a career.

I’ve come to enjoy finding clients at events and workshops because I learn more about how they work, how they edit, and who they are. What I know is that when I take on a client who dedicated to improving craft and has a great manuscript in hand, that’s perfect. You should be savvy about what is out and current in the marketplace—enough to know when a manuscript feels like it is written from a mentor text or includes lines so similar to established text that it feels cliché.

Do I need to have a full draft of my novel?

Yes. You should have a full draft of your novel to submit. We are looking for that next great book. It’s nice to have other manuscripts in the works as well, ideally ready, but one great book is what we look for. I personally enjoy working with writers who work in more than one category, a writer who enjoys nonfiction as well as fiction, or is a writer and also an illustrator, or a picture book writer who also writes YA.

How much revision should I do before I submit?

Your novel should be through a number of revisions, for it is usually in the 8th or 56th that we reach that depth needed to skyrocket our manuscript toward success. I was working on a manuscript the other day, or just looking for where I was at in my own revisions, and I found a draft marked 222. I laughed. I remember how I felt at the time I saved it like that. Some stories come to us and the muse opens up and others find there way through the labyrinth of our souls, but they find their way. Our job is to nurture it onto the page. And with pluck and a little luck and butt-in-chair (BIC), we, ever onward, reach our goals. It’s what writers do. What you need to know is that with MFA in hand, you are on that journey, so enjoy it, celebrate it, and cherish the small successes as you move forward.

What are some tips about writing a cover letter?

My biggest tips are two-fold: keep it short and be yourself. We get so many submissions, so those that share their personality in the cover page stand out. I enjoy it when the cover letter matches the tone of the manuscript.

One of my favorite submissions was from an author-illustrator who mentioned his work in a three parts; he works as an art director, cut his teeth at DC comics, and cries at most Tom Hank movies. This is a breathing person who feels real and friendly. He’s been fabulous to work with and we are currently contracting his fourth book, a two-book deal with more in the works. Another great submission came from a writer who shared her cover letter in her main character’s point of view and voice. It was really engaging. And so was the work that followed.

I’ve been on enough editor-agent panels now to know that when I suggest to keep these short, it’s the best advice I can give you. A lot of us feel this way. When I see a long, long cover letter, I get hives and think “I’ll read that one later” and may not. It’s professional to by concise and clear. Short means it fits on my computer screen without scrolling down. Keep it simple, direct, and memorable.

What matters most about your submission? Your manuscript. For your cover letter, spend the most time honing that pitch for your manuscript. Write that in a way that makes me crave your read and you will be in great shape. I often read this pitch and move right to reading the manuscript. Really. When my in bin fills fast and furious like a wild thing, it’s a must. Some twenty to one hundred submissions a day is normal life as an agent and really why we are sometimes slow responding. If I write an article, at times that number can reach 500-600 in a month.

When I’ve been the submission agent following an online event, I’ve received this number from just one group—all picture books. When I attend conferences, critiques get added to this reading. When I want to send out clients’ manuscript, important reading and editing gets added to this reading. So do realize that when we are slow to respond, we are diligently and constantly working to catch up.

So my other piece of advice is to take the time to read and adhere to the specific guidelines for each agent you send your work to. When I receive submissions written to the agent they sent to just prior to me (Happens a lot just prior to events I am scheduled to attend—I think writers send to the agents that will be there and simply forget to change the name) or to “Dear agent” (really? Didn’t bother to look my name up) or Mr. Sadler (did I really have a sex change overnight? Hmm), I know this writer has not taken the time to consider me as a professional or present him/herself as a professional.

Will my agent work on revising something with me?

Agents are the new editors in many ways. We look for work that is so ready to send that it already sings. It’s nice when we only have a few things to consider like setting or depth of characterization, or chapter breaks and shifts, or subplots or threads that need more attention. In the case of picture books, a lot of time can be spent on crafting fresh and thinking about what will elevate a piece in the marketplace.

I’ve recently launched KIDLIT COLLEGE (kidlitcollege.org), which hosts great webinar events with editors and agents, who also do critiques. In a recent event, Allison Moore talked about Big Story Ideas and shared how to position your work to complete in the marketplace and stand out. This past weekend, Ann Whitford Paul joined Jill Corcoran to talk about picture book craft. Ann talked about the ABCs of writing picture books, which was fabulous and gave detailed list of what to do, and literary agent extraordinaire, Jill Corcoran joined her to talk about what agents look for.

Find these kind of opportunities to get your work critiqued and reviewed by editor and agents. From our first webinar alone three manuscripts out of 20-ish where requested by the critiquing editor, so it’s a great move.

I often say that while we don’t write to the market, per se, we do need our work to fit into a market category. It’s a different ballgame to craft a story than to craft a story that will sell. I know a book is one I can take on when I can instantly think of three editors I can share it with.

Agents work on revisions, but an editorial agent definitely does, and this is all a process. I now use Google hangouts to work with clients because it saves a lot of back and forth emailing. We read and mark up and then chat about the piece and what needs to happen to make it ready to send out.

What catches an agent's eye and makes them want to read more?

Voice. Original idea. Different. Captivating. And Firsts. The first line, paragraph, pages and chapters of your novel need to be the best you’re capable of. We need character, setting, plot hints and voice all at once. How important is this? Huge. In the first week of my MG/YA pacing course, I talk about the importance of firsts. I also recently did a Writer’s Digest Webinar with Leslie Shumate, assistant editor at Little Brown Books for Young readers, and she will also be talking about first pages and we have Leslie joining us at KidLit College in October: “Making First Impressions”—and she definitely knows what she is talking about.

I believe in one simple truth: A writer who hones his/her craft will earn the book deal. There are no short cuts. A manuscript has to be top quality. This was the whole reason I started KIDLIT COLLEGE, and asked presenters to talk about craft. Ariel Richardson, assistant editor at Chronicle, will be talking about “What Makes Nonfiction Great” in September, and Yolanda Scott, executive director at Charlesbridge, will talk about “The Whole Book Approach to writing picture books in November. We also have an author-agent team talking about The author-agent relationship in a few short weeks, titled, “I’ve Got Your Back,” which pretty much sums up a great team approach to agenting.

If you could give one tip to new authors, what would it be?

Write the best manuscript, that manuscript only you can write, and write it strong in your voice and style and trust in the journey—it’s a good one.

I began this post before Maggie Moris’ thought-provoking gratitude post. Thank you, Maggie, for reminding us about the deep work we writers
do—every day. I too am grateful for the challenges my writing life presents
and for other aspects about this life that I don’t always appreciate—my
supportive friends and husband, agents and editors who tell it straight and
send me back to the work, the students, alums and faculty of the Hamline
writing community that feed me in so many ways. And I am thankful for one of
the most incredible experiences of my writing life that took place out in the
world, not at my desk.

Please bear with my excited verbiage about my recent trip to
Washington, D.C. for the National Council of Teachers of English conference. I
am so very grateful. I flew out two days early to experience our nation’s
capital again. Because I write about history, I wanted to visit the halls of
power again where so many decisions have been made, to be reminded again about the
evolution of our country. Thanks to Hamline alum Ellen Kazimer, a history geek
like myself, we got around brilliantly. The second day we visited Mount Vernon
where I came to appreciate our first president more deeply and to embrace the
fact that he graces the cover of my new book My Country Tis of Thee, rather than Aretha Franklin. We also met an
awesome fife player and guide whose interactions with third graders on our tour
modeled ways to help young people enjoy history.

But the first day rocked my soul. Ellen and I toured the
Supreme Court and the capital. Across the hall from my senator—Maria Cantwell—is Al Franken’s office. Ellen and I were delighted to take a photo in front
of the Minnesota college pennants on his wall and tell the office staff all about the
Hamline MFAC program. Then we heard testimony on immigration on a mostly empty
Senate floor, some of it inflammatory behind belief. But I want to focus on the
positive, on what came next.

Ellen and I arrived at Congressman John Lewis’ office about
fifteen minutes ahead of the interview time. I had met John at ALA last summer
and he had agreed to discuss my new book project with me. Even so, I was
delighted when his scheduler set me up with a face-to-face interview, only
requesting the questions ahead of time.

We had to wait awhile as the House was actually working that
day, voting on some bill. Like a cat on a hot tin roof, I could barely sit
still. Ellen admitted later that she was surprised how nervous I was. I was
too. But John Lewis was my hero—Freedom Rider, speaker at the March on
Washington, a member of Bobby Kennedy’s presidential campaign staff and, most
importantly, the last civil rights activist serving in Congress. The 45 minute
delay was a blessing. Ellen and I were allowed to stand in his office, which is
like a museum to the Civil Rights movement and full of plaques honoring John’s
service to our country. Bobby’s poster can be seen in the photo Ellen took of
me and John.

He’d been on the go all day, but when he arrived, he asked
us if we needed something to drink. To drink! I know, I know. My students are
thinking to themselves how much I abhor exclamation marks. But . . . that’s how
it went down. He was gracious and thoughtful and considered every question. We
had a great conversation about his time with Dr. King and the Kennedys. All my
questions were answered, and I only glanced once at my list. In closing I asked
him what I should write about today’s racism challenges, what I should say to young
people.

“Tell them never to lose hope. We have to have hope.”

John Lewis should know. He’d been beaten senseless as a
Freedom Rider in 1962, lost Dr. King and Bobby within two months of each other
in 1968, seen Congress devolve to petty partisan politics. He didn’t cover up
his pain during our interview. He’s just risen above it. He’s used that pain to
keep going. My hero gave me sixty minutes of his precious time. Afterwards he
left to receive another award - from the Washington Historical Society. But he
talked to me like he had all the time in the world.

NCTE
was wonderful. I got to meet librarians, teachers and college professors who
love kids’ books as much as do. I had coffee with the amazing Emily Jenkins and
we chatted about our upcoming residency. I listened to Bryan Collier discuss
how he painted the illustrations for My
Country Tis of Thee, and learned that he stood on the Rotunda that cold,
cold January day with his five year old daughter when President Obama was
inaugurated and Aretha sang.

I
will never forget that hour with John Lewis. Whenever I get down and out about
my writing, politics or global warming, I am going to remember his words: “We have to have hope.”

John Lewis, you give me that hope. I can only pray for a
smidgen of the courage you have shown us all. And writers out there, don’t ever
hesitate to ask for an interview with one of your heroes. We need their
stories, and you just might be the one to write it.